Don't Buy New Construction in the San Gabriel Valley Until You Watch This (2026)

Builders across the San Gabriel Valley are advertising rates well below market( 4.99% on a 30-year fixed) while the market sits in the 7s. Most buyers take that exactly the way the sales office hands it to them. That's the mistake. That rate isn't a rate. It's a dollar amount the builder already decided how to spend, and depending on what you actually need, there are better ways to structure it. I'm Calvin Chen, a realtor with Real Brokerage covering real estate, development, and community news in the San Gabriel Valley. I've sold a lot of new construction out here, and it's a completely different game than buying resale. In this video: what actually happens when you walk into a sales office, how to read a builder price sheet, the 3 ways that incentive money can be spent, the pricing move builders make between phases, when you have the most leverage to ask for more, and an honest look at whether a newer resale condo is the better buy right now. 📋 SGV NEW CONSTRUCTION INCENTIVES GUIDE — updated monthly Every community in the SGV and what each one's incentive package is. Fill this out and I'll send it over: https://forms.gle/RHpwvGnDGmjhQMGu9 📅 BOOK A CALL WITH ME https://calendar.app.google/79vnZJARj... ✉️ SGV WEEKLY NEWSLETTER https://lifeinsgv.beehiiv.com 📩 calvinchen025@gmail.com CHAPTERS 0:00 The 4.99% that isn't really a rate 0:55 Why new construction is a different game than resale 2:00 What happens when you walk in 4:35 How to read the price sheet 6:45 3 ways to use the builder's money 10:30 The phase pricing move 12:10 When you have the most leverage 13:20 New build vs. a newer resale condo 14:50 The honest cons 15:30 Recap COVERED IN THIS VIDEO Why the model home isn't the house you're buying Base finishes vs. upgrades - the question to ask on visit #1 Why you should ask to walk the actual move-in ready unit Why your agent has to be there the first time you walk in How to read a builder price sheet: base, lot premium, structural, solar Solar owned vs. leased on new construction The 3 directions a builder incentive can go — and when you can do 2 at once How a 2/1 buydown actually works Why the incentive is tied to the builder's in-house lender How builders hold prices and increase incentive packages between phases Standing inventory and when to negotiate Why newer SGV resale condos might be the better buy right now New construction warranties the 1-2-10 and what the state adds I'm not a lender. Everything in this video is general information: run your numbers with a lender Calvin Chen · Real Brokerage · DRE #02111714 calvinchen025@gmail.com 📍 San Gabriel Valley, CA